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Fret marker LED's??


basstech
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As lighting engineers/designers seem to get more....'creative' many gigs end up pretty dark and fret reference can be hard - unless you have fantastic muscle/arm/spatial co-ordination in pitch black. Has anyone used fretfx markers or alternative and are they worth the RRP or did u get LED's inlaid?

cheers
JB

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LEDs on basses are a good idea...UNTIL you have to power them.
You'll go through a lot of batteries unless the bass is powered.

I don't normally run them unless the gig demands it, which is rare...so on balance I would say LED's on a bass
is a waste of money, IMO.

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[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1321988943' post='1445245']
I've got Luminlay Inserts on both my ACG's and they are fantastic.
[url="http://www.luminlay.com/"]http://www.luminlay.com/[/url]
OK you need a guitar tech or luthier to fit them, but they are a real alternative to LED's and way, way cheaper.
[/quote]

They look really good. Like the idea that fitting them is pretty simple and doesn't involve major surgery to your bass.

How long do they stay bright for if you have to use the LED to activate them?

T

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[quote name='tonyf' timestamp='1321991013' post='1445282']
They look really good. Like the idea that fitting them is pretty simple and doesn't involve major surgery to your bass.

How long do they stay bright for if you have to use the LED to activate them?

T
[/quote]
I'm told about 45 minutes. Each marker requires a few seconds 'charge' from the supplied torch. I'll do a full report as I should soon be picking up a bass featuring them.

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Here's the review I did on finnBass. Should give you some idea.
"
I have Luminlay Fret Markers in both my ACG's and thought a review may be useful for anyone considering trying them. Alan is offering them as an option on his builds so if you are considering them, here goes.
All the information about them is here:
[url="http://www.luminlay.com/indexen.html"]Luminlay Website[/url]

They work on a similar principle to the luminous markers on watches. I have the 3mm Green ones in both my ACG's. They are energised using a small LED torch, (provided or purchase from Luminlay), whch shines blue light on the markers. According to Luminlay, Blue is the best colour to charge them up. It is the quality of the light rather than intensity or duration that has the optimum effect. After a 5sec charge they are initially quite bright and then fade very slightly keeping a constant glow. As all the bands I play in use LED srage lights, these will have an effect on the duration the dots glow for. They easily lasted a 1hr set and even after a 15-20 min break they were still glowing prior to a re-charge for Set 2.
One band I play in is a Blues Brothers Tribute and even wearing the required Ray-Bans, the dots were clearly visible. Even when they have lost their charge the dots do seem easier to see than conventional Aluminium or Plastic ones. They are a little larger, (which helps), and the nature of the material seems to help as well.
Are they an alternative to LED's? I would say yes. They are much cheaper for starters, particularly when specced at the start of the build as they are just fitted in place of normal dots. They do seem to get you through a typical set without "dying", although stage lights will help. Even a quick re-charge mid-set is no real hardship. Just do it whilst your singer is waffling or guitarist tuning up, (again)."
__________________

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I've got both, luminlay and Sims leds, and its leds every time for me. The luminlays have a lot going for them, but you cant beat the bright light of an led. They are pricey, but the batteries last at least a year on mine, with regular gigging, and I can see them in pretty much any stage light.

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[quote name='MB1' timestamp='1322142345' post='1447097']
MB1. :)

[center]"Status Leds...You wont need a torch to find them!" :)[/center]
[/quote]

For all that this may be true, the majority of my basses have NO front-face fretboard markers at all - Not even my Status (my request when ordered)
I wouldn't want any guit*r players knowing what notes I was playing, now would I?
I never seem to suffer in low-light conditions.

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  • 4 weeks later...

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1321984482' post='1445195']
I'd go for this....

[url="http://www.barnyarns.co.uk/Daylight-Ultimate-Floorstanding-Lamp-pr-24013.html"]Stagelight![/url]

Transferrable between basses (& other instruments) too!
[/quote]

In a really dark live set these saved me :-)

http://www.amazon.com/LightVision-Safety-Glasses-Lights-AntiFog/dp/B003DXNFVC/ref=sr_1_sc_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1324142326&sr=1-5-spell

here's another cheap solution:

http://www.fretlord.com/fretoptix.htm

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